CHENNAI: Citing overcrowding on the Chennai Beach - Tiruvannamalai local, railway passengers have demanded upgrading the MEMU rake car from eight to 12. As Pournamani Girivalam was observed on May 22, the trains were jam-packed on Wednesday and Thursday.
A section of passengers noted that the train, originally intended to ferry office commuters during peak hours on the Vellore - Arakkonam - Chennai section, after being extended to Tiruvannamalai from May 2 has resulted in overcrowding throughout the journey from Tiruvannamalai to Chennai Beach.
An official from the Chennai railway division said a proposal to operate a new regular service to Tiruvannamalai from Chennai and a request to allocate 12-car MEMU rakes have been submitted to the railway board for approval.
K Baskar from Tiruvallur Rail Passengers Association says that the Vellore Cantonment - Beach MEMU is jam-packed during peak hours. “The train was extended to Tiruvannamalai without studying occupancy levels of the rake. The train has to be upgraded to 12-car MEMU at the earliest to carry passengers during festivals and weekends”, he added.
Another passenger, S Jayakumar from Avadi, says the railways should have introduced a new direct train instead of extending it. “On Wednesday, hundreds of passengers faced huge hardship for nearly two hours as they had to stand in fully packed coaches to reach Tiruvannamalai,” Jayakumar said.
Baskar says the railways should introduce circular trains as this will provide a direct connection from Tiruvallur to Tindivanam without requiring passengers to change trains,” he added.